Hyderabad, March 3
It was a beginning to the India Aviation 2010 no one had expected. The air show, meant to showcase the country’s potential in aviation sector, went horribly wrong when a Kiran MK-II aircraft of the Navy’s prestigious Sagar Pawan aerobatics fleet crashed into a residential building while performing at the inaugural ceremony here this morning.

Both pilots, Cdr Suresh K Maurya and Lt Cdr Rahul Nair, and an unidentified civilian were killed in the mishap while three other persons in the building sustained injuries. Nair apparently tried to eject, but did not have the minimum safe ejection altitude.

Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel was also watching the show when the mishap occurred. Top Civil Aviation Ministry officials, besides several dignitaries, including senior Navy officials, were also present.

The disaster occurred barely minutes after Patel inaugurated the air show at the Begumpet airport and in front of hundreds of cameras and mediapersons.

Spectators watched in horror as one of the four aircraft in the formation spiralled out of control during the aerobatic display. The ill-fated aircraft failed to lift up from a dive, hurtled down at a greater speed and first hit a cell tower before crashing into a water tank atop a private building in the congested Bowenpally area.

There was hardly any time for the pilots to bail out. “It appears the pilots tried to eject to safety at the last minute, but the parachutes failed to open. We have recovered the bodies,” the Police Commissioner AK Khan said.

The other three aircraft landed safely at the airport. Navy officials say the delay in the bailout could have been due to pilots trying to minimise civilian casualties. A car parked adjacent to the building was totally crushed as the debris fell on it.

The impact was massive and the entire area got covered with highly inflammable ATF. Swinging into damage control, the authorities covered the entire area with the aqua film forming foam to avoid eventuality of any fire breakout.

Four residents of the building, including homemaker Vijayasri and her teenage son Shyam, were injured. They were admitted to a private hospital.

The exact cause of the accident was not immediately known and an inquiry is being ordered to ascertain the same. As part of the standard operating procedure, the entire fleet of 20 Kiran aircraft has been grounded as the Navy has decided to play it safe and not use any of the aircraft until investigations are completed.

Sagar Pawan is one of the only two naval aerobatics teams in the world - the other being US Navy’s “Blue Angels”.

Patel has expressed deep sorrow at the tragic event and offered heartfelt condolences to the member of the bereaved families.

Though the show will complete its five-day run, the accident has completely overshadowed the event, meant to showcase India’s potential in the aviation sector.

In fact, this was the second accident involving aerobatic display teams of the armed forces over the past one week. On February 27, an ALH Dhruv of the Indian Air Force’s Sarang helicopter display team crash-landed in Jaisalmer while rehearsing for the Vayu Shakti air show there.

According to a Civil Aviation Ministry official, there were five such crashes during air shows in the world last year. Similarly, there were four such crashes during air shows in 2008 and seven in 2007.

The aerobatics team of the Indian Air Force has also had its share of bad luck in the recent past. Its prestigious Suryakiran aerobatics team saw fatal accidents in 2009 and 2006.

The Indian Air Force operates two aerial display teams, the Surya Kiran aerobatic team (SKAT) and the Sarang helicopter display team, while the Navy has the four-aircraft Sagar Pawan aerobatic team (SPAT).

The first fatal accident involving the SKAT took place in 2006 during a training sortie, killing Wing Commander Deeraj Bhatia and Squadron Leader Shailender Singh. The team met with an accident again last year when one of its aircraft crashed during practice, killing Wing Commander RS Dhaliwal near Bidar. In February, 2007, the four-helicopter Sarang aerial display team had its first fatal accident. Squadron Leader Priye Sharma was killed on the spot, while Wing Commander V Jetely succumbed to injuries after some time.